The Canberra Business Podcast
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The Canberra Business Podcast
What Disability Inclusion Looks Like At Work
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Tim Cologan has Down syndrome, a job he loves, and a message that cuts through corporate noise: people with disabilities are human too and they deserve respect, acceptance, and real work. Alongside Susie Walford, GM Federal Self-Insurance at EML, we dig into what disability inclusion looks like when it moves from good intentions to everyday practice in the workplace.
Tim shares his path into employment, from his first role in the property sector to being made redundant during COVID, and then landing at EML after a simple conversation that turned into an interview and a “yes”. He also talks about building confidence over time, how dancing (jazz and hip hop) helps him feel stronger, and why the best part of work is belonging, making friends, and being trusted with meaningful tasks that keep the office running.
Susie brings the employer perspective with refreshing honesty: many organisations want to hire people with disability but don’t know the pathway, overthink “risk”, and underestimate the value that real diversity brings to teams and customers. We walk through practical steps for inclusive hiring in Canberra, how onboarding support from Down Syndrome Australia can help, and why leadership, flexibility, and culture matter as much as any policy on paper. If you care about disability employment, inclusive workplaces, and tapping into an overlooked talent pool, this conversation will give you both heart and a clear next step. Subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review with one thing you’ll do to make your workplace more inclusive.
Welcome And Meet The Guests
SPEAKER_02Hello and welcome to the Canberra Business Podcast. I'm Greg Harford, your host from the Canberra Business Chamber, and today I'm talking uh disability employment with uh the team from EML. I've got with us here in the podcast studio Tim Colligan, uh EML's administration officer from uh down the road in Marcus Clark Street, and Susie Wolf at the GM Federal Self-Insurance for EML. Um Tim, Susie, welcome to the podcast.
SPEAKER_00Thank you very much. Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER_02Now it's great, great having you here. Um uh Tim, let's sort of kick off uh with you.
Tim’s Story And First Job
SPEAKER_02Um tell us a little bit about your your story and um uh perhaps your your disability if you're comfortable with that and and how you got into the workforce.
SPEAKER_03Okay, good. And I have Down syndrome. Um I want people to accept p people with Down syndrome um and all other dis disabilities.
SPEAKER_02Well, let me ask you, Tim, tell us tell us um about your first work experience. How did you how did you get into the workforce and what was your first job?
SPEAKER_03So my first job was with um a group called In Independent Property Group. Uh they're um a real estate c company and um they had connections with the AZT Down syndrome people. Um so they had an avocation and I applied for and I got the job for that one and I showed them what I can do for them and they they accepted me as who I am. Um and I I made friends with them as well. And then um when COVID came, uh th they couldn't find any taxes for me to do, so they made the decision to for my position there to become redundant.
SPEAKER_02And I'm sorry to hear that, and COVID was a tough time, obviously, for for many people. Um, but you've picked yourself up uh and you've got yourself a new a new role uh at EML, right? How did
How Tim Joined EML
SPEAKER_02that come about?
SPEAKER_03My new role at EML came about uh I was at a function and two people from from EML were there and uh they said to me that um you should come work with us. So I applied and then I had the interview with them. Um and that interview went so well that I got the job.
SPEAKER_02Well done. Yeah. That's awesome. And Susie, I understand that was actually part of uh there was some connection with the Chamber's Skills and Inclusion Programme, right?
SPEAKER_00That's right, yeah. Um as you know, I'd um reached out to the chamber to work out how I could um uh support disability and get more involved with the chambers initiatives that I'd seen. So um yeah, we reached out to the chamber and they helped connect us to Tim through Down Syndrome Australia.
SPEAKER_02Fantastic.
Taking Down Syndrome Advocacy To UN
SPEAKER_02Um now, Tim, uh you you are, I understand, a bit of a bit of a rock star, right? You've just been off to New York talking to uh the United Nations about uh Down syndrome for International Down syndrome day. Um how did that come about and how did it go?
SPEAKER_03Um so that that came about I think a few months ago, I think. And uh and I was at my sister's place in the center coast, and uh she got an em an email from the um UN and they invite they invited us to come to the United Nations in New York City because me and my sister were presenting a presentation about kids with disabilities and them being lonely and uh we we talked about that on UN TV and everyone some people watched it live, some people watch it watched the recording of it too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, fantastic. We that must have been a an amazing experience. I've never been to New York. Um how did you find it?
SPEAKER_03It was awesome. Um, I love New York, but it was really great coming back to Australia too.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02Well you can't beat Australia, right? So yeah, yeah. Um
Growing Up With Down Syndrome
SPEAKER_02and and tell us a little bit about um growing up with Down syndrome. I mean, was that a lonely experience? How how did you find that?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, um growing up with Down syndrome syndrome was hard because I I I I was a really young kid at the time and I didn't know what Down syndrome was. These um other people um made fun of me because I had Down syndrome and how I looked, and I didn't like that. And my my my cousin was there at the time, and he said to them, Don't say that to my cousin to my cousin, me, because it's not nice being picked on. I really look up to my cousin and he stood up for me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and that's that's I mean it's great that your cousin was there to stand up for you, but it must have been really hard for you to be in that situation. How did you find the the resilience, the inner strength to sort of cope?
SPEAKER_03I don't know. Uh maybe because um I had I had a bit of backup with my cousin.
SPEAKER_02Excellent. And you sort of talked about these stories while you were in New York, um, and you presented to to the UN. Um and what else what else did you do while you were in New York?
SPEAKER_03Uh we well we explored um Times Square, we we explored um the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, we um explored or we explored the Empire State Building, the Wackefala. We also went to a Broadway show before we had to come back to Australia and uh we saw Hamilton on Broadway.
SPEAKER_01Fantastic. That's that's a really amazing experience.
SPEAKER_02So yeah. Um and now you're you're back at work, so let's um let's sort of jump back into talking about um the the workplace.
Barriers And Building Confidence
SPEAKER_02Um what uh obviously you've had a couple of jobs now, um one impacted by by COVID. Um what do you think, what did you find were the biggest barriers to getting a job in the first place? What were the biggest issues?
SPEAKER_03Look, I think people with um disabilities can find it a bit scary, but um when they uh get more confident, they can make friends as well through the workplace. And also to show the ability that they can work and so the and show the disability.
SPEAKER_02Excellent. And uh being and co having confidence, you sort of mentioned confidence there, is is really important. How did you build your own confidence as you were looking to find a job?
SPEAKER_03My confidence was um a bit slow and sometimes people can find it a bit hard. It's okay as well, because at first it can be scary, but you can um get get the inner confidence.
SPEAKER_00Tim, what about your um dancing? What if you asked about that again? But you know, the way you do the things outside work to give you confidence, like you're dancing and your um Tim's got lots of other skills outside and that probably helped a lot.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I do dance as well, and that can really help with confidence as well. And you can make friends through dance as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So what kind of dancing do you do?
SPEAKER_03I do a bit of jazz, a bit of hip hop, which I love hip hop. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Fantastic. And actually, I think uh now that we're talking about it, I think I've seen you perform at an event I was at uh recently along with it with sort of a troop of of other people. So that was um that was really amazing, and um, you know, there's a huge degree of coordination there and and confidence I can see that uh you know not not everyone has. So um yeah. Um
Tim’s Day-To-Day At EML
SPEAKER_02tell us tell us Tim about your role at EML. What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
SPEAKER_03So I'm uh business administration. I keep the kitchen clean. I keep the m the meeting rooms clean clean and tidy when people have meetings in there. Um I I I we stock the snack suck as well when people um are in the kitchen and they get a snack or a drink. Yeah, and then they return to the Dexters and do the work as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I understand you sort of uh play an important role in keeping the office together, keeping the team together. How does how does that work? Do you enjoy it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I do.
SPEAKER_02And what's what's the most satisfying part of your job?
SPEAKER_03The most satisfying part of my job would have to be like making new friends and doing and doing all all the tasks my boss gets me to do. And I do it, and yeah.
What Employers Misunderstand Most
SPEAKER_02Susie, uh let's let's come to you and talk a little more generally about disability employment. From a from an employer's point of view, um, what do you see organisations struggling with the most when it comes to employing people with disability?
SPEAKER_00I think I was a little bit the same. Um I wanted to participate, but I didn't quite know how to um I didn't I felt a little bit ignorant, I suppose, and didn't know exactly what how what the pathway was. So that was when I found um the business chamber, signed up to the pledge and um became involved with the advisory committee. And I think what I wanted to do was show that in the um insurance and personal injury area in particular, um, we're really underrepresented with people with disability. And so I know most of the key people in the ACT and know what kind of people they are, but I think we just haven't found the pathway of um how to bring someone on board.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Do you do you think the biggest barriers to increasing the participation of people with disability in the workforce, do you think they're structural, cultural, or or just a lack of understanding?
SPEAKER_00I definitely think it's a lack of understanding. There's no barriers at all. Um I have um I have heard, or no, that's right. I I'm aware of that people can be concerned about risk around it, like if there would if there was any risk around not having the right um policies and procedures in place, but those policies and procedures are the same for anyone. Um so I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding around um the complexity of bringing someone on and a total misunderstanding of what value um someone like Tim can bring to the team.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and how would you describe the value to breaks?
SPEAKER_00When Tim came to EML, we had good support through Down Syndrome Australia, who came to the office first and gave us a briefing. Um, asked the team to ask any questions and any concerns that they had, which was really a great way to onboard Tim, so that then from the day Tim started, we could make him feel really welcome. And so from day one, he just brought value to the team with a lot of fun. Um, he's very welcoming to our new people, he looks after everyone. Um, but he's also just someone that will brighten your day because he'll just tell you a story or um we get updates, we get recipes. Um, he's a great cook.
SPEAKER_01Fantastic. What's your favourite recipe, Tim?
SPEAKER_03My favourite recipe would have to be like um pasta, like um like lasagna. I love it.
SPEAKER_02Awesome. So um just sort of jumping back to the workplace though, um do you uh and I guess you you perhaps sort of bring some of your your fabulous cooking in uh from time to time, but what what is it about um being working at EML that that makes a big difference to you? What what do you really like about um the workplace and and and what makes it easy for you to be there?
SPEAKER_03The the I I think I have to say the enjoyment of going to work because it's a good way to get out of the house.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and you mentioned um making friends earlier as being something that's that's important. Um do you find people in at work are really welcoming and friendly?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, they're they're really welcoming and friendly. And it's really n it's really n it's really nice to have friends there too. Um and to and for them to accept me that I have down down to the Awesome.
SPEAKER_02Uh Susie, um let's talk a little bit more about what employers need to know around uh disability employment. If you were in front of a room full of business leaders and CEOs, what are the key things you'd want to be telling them about employing people with disability?
SPEAKER_00I think the key thing that I would like to tell anyone who's considering this is the value, I think we underestimate the value of that kind of diversity in your business. Um it brings there's bring value to your people, to your customers, and it just makes you stronger as an organization.
SPEAKER_02Tim, do you wish employers n understood better about taking on people with disabilities?
SPEAKER_03More accepted. Um and m more more respect because people who don't people with disabilities can find it hard. People with disabilities should be s uh should be employed because they're humans too and they need jobs to help to help them get more jobs as yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um Susie, how important do you think um things like flexibility, communication, and workplace culture are when it comes to employing people with disabilities rather than the policies on paper?
SPEAKER_00That's m that's as important as having the the policies, I think. It's um by it's a leadership test, so it really flexes your leadership to be able to show how um we can role model in the community as well as um genuinely bring diversity to the workplace, which we know is great for our people and great for our outcomes.
SPEAKER_02Tim, do you feel when you're at EML that you're part of the team? Yes. And and how do you what what is it that makes you really sort of feel engaged as as a team member?
SPEAKER_03Well, for me, it's to belong as a team, to be part of something.
SPEAKER_02Let's talk a little bit more about the practical issues around employing someone with with disabilities. And and
The First Practical Step For Hiring
SPEAKER_02Susie, um, I guess from an employer's point of view, there's a big pool of untapped talent out there. Um, people with disabilities are much less likely to be in the workforce and much less likely to retain a job. Um for businesses that want to do their bit and and and do a bit better in this space but don't know where to start, what would you advise that was the first practical step to take?
SPEAKER_00The first thing I do if I was in the ACT is contact the business chamber, sign the pledge, and then and get the support because I definitely didn't know what what pathway to take. Um but I think it's um we've we're all struggling with getting and retaining good people. There's a whole pool of people out there that have um various levels of lived experience that we should all be tapping into. Um and it's um it's uh a way of bringing advocacy with your team as well. Um so yeah, the first thing that I would do is just um reach out to the chamber or look at um um disability Australia and see how you can do more.
SPEAKER_02Good advice there. Now you mentioned our pledge, uh, just for our listeners who might not be across it, um, that you're talking about our pledge on disability action, uh, where we're asking employers to sign up to set in place a disability action plan and uh essentially um be open to uh looking to employ people. And if people listeners do want to know more about that, it's uh on our website at CanberraBusiness.com. Um Tim, from your point of view, um what's one thing that employers could do tomorrow that would make a workplace more inclusive?
SPEAKER_03So I'm gonna start off um with respect to the disability. Uh uh and also people with disabilities should have jobs. They wanted to be included as well. They want to be part of something, they wanted to be part of a team, and and to make friends with them too. And and they're humans too. Um people with down people with disabilities should have jobs.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Uh Susie, um is there a risk do you think sometimes that employers might um be a little bit nervous? How do we get them to build confidence in the space without the making everyone feel that everything's got to be perfect all the time? Is is perfection the enemy of the good?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I think um, yeah, I wish that we had met Tim earlier because the value that he brings to the business, and it would it really is, um, is to lean in and just take the risk and be a bit brave about it. Um, but also there are great services there to help you, to to give you solid advice around because I think everyone has the right intention, but would be maybe scared that they don't have the right background or skills. But um dis uh Down Syndrome Australia will come in and speak to you and help you to on board and make sure that you can ask all those questions in a really safe space.
Final Takeaways And Resources
SPEAKER_02Tim, just to close off our conversation here today, um, if there was one thing that you wanted our listeners to know or to take away from this conversation, what would it be?
SPEAKER_03People with disabilities, they're human. They're human too. And we need to we we need to respect them and um respect their disability, care for their disability, and accept who they are and and I'm just gonna close it off. Please employ people with disabilities with jobs that they need jobs because they need to make a living for them. And they're human too. So I ask you, please accept who they are and please employ them.
SPEAKER_02Thank you, Tim. Susie, if you had a takeaway message for our audience, what is it?
SPEAKER_00Um I would just encourage you to um I would just encourage you to lean in and be a bit brave and um be open to um the wonderful value that someone like Tim can bring to your team.
SPEAKER_02Great advice. Thank you so much, both of you, for joining me here on the Canberra Business Podcast today. It's been an amazing conversation, and Tim, it's been really great hearing about your personal experiences and indeed your your trip to New York. And uh I wish you all the best uh in the in the coming uh months and years at EML. Um Thank you very much for joining us. I'm Greg Harford. This has been the Canberra Business Podcast. Um, I've been talking to Tim Colligan and Susie Wolford from EML. Uh, some amazing stories there. Don't forget, if you want more information on disability employment, uh, there's stacks of resources on our website at CanberraBusiness.com, including uh the Pledge on Disability Action. Um we'll catch you next time on the Canberra Business Podcast. Don't forget to follow us for future episodes.